The Task Force on Assessment of Students' Learning met on December 5, 1996, and covered the following items:

• The minutes of the November 26, 1996 have been approved.
• The Planning Exercise and Survey has been discussed and the following reactions/suggestions had been brought forward:
  • The definition of 'unit' should be given in the cover memo.
  • Too many goals are suggested for the Exercise & Survey.
  • The form is overwhelmingly long. A simpler form could work better. We can simply ask mission, objectives, outcomes, and methods.
  • The question on 'validity and reliability of assessment measure(s) and instrument(s)' could be confusing.
  • The above question could be replaced with 'How comfortable are you with the reliability and validity with the suggested assessment measure(s) and instrument(s)'
  • Cover memo should clearly point out that units need not to answer all the questions.
  • A sample of units can be taken for the Planning Exercise and Survey.
  • One of the Committee members could meet with the units and go through the form with the unit and answer questions.
  • The Planning Exercise and Survey can be strip down to a manageable size. For example the questions on 'relevance' and 'reliability' can be eliminated
  • A one page example could be included with the Exercise & Survey.
  • Questions can be designed as open-ended.
  • The examples taken from the outside of UMM might lead us in a wrong direction.
  • Guidelines, examples of applicable instruments, and an example of mission, objectives, outcomes, and instruments can be attached to the Exercise and Survey.
  • A combination of 'attachments' and 'short form' might produce a better design.
  • Meeting with the units when they prepare their responses might imply the task force is telling them what to do.

• The target units for the Planning Exercise & Survey will be all disciplines and programs which offer a major and/or minor, related committees and programs.
• The cover memo, Planning Exercise & Survey will be modified by considering the input that has been received from the Task Force. It will ask disciplines to actually complete the segment of the questionnaire on mission/goals; student learning: objectives/expected outcomes. The remainder of the questionnaire will go to faculty early in winter quarter.
• The deadline for the Exercise and Survey will be January 17, 1996.
• The Task Force will work on the details of the draft time table at its next meeting.
• The Task Force will look at the current campus assessment practices at its next meeting.
• The next meeting of the Task Force will take place during the first week of the Winter quarter.